Buddhist practice is more than sitting and walking meditation. With creativity and nuance, the Buddha explored many other aspects of practice, including those “off the cushion.” The overall package is enshrined in the Noble Eightfold Path as the Middle Way that ends dukkha, cools the destructive passions, and frees us of egoism’s tyranny. The Buddha’s path encourages and teaches us to make each and every activity of our daily lives a practice opportunity. What if we take this teaching to heart without shortcuts and make it the foundation of our lives? Doing so is the premise of this retreat.

Generally, Buddha didn’t boil practice down to any single factor. Rather, core aspects of practice, such as mindfulness-recall, are presented as essential within a noble eightfold path, as are wise view, skillful ethics, and appropriate effort. Just as life is multi-dimensional, spiritual path is an integrated whole. This expansion of the standard retreat format hopes to foster such well-rounded practice.

This retreat will explore all salient factors of the path, rather than just a few. Within a container of noble silence, mindfulness, and supportive kindness towards each other, we will engage suitable exercises and practices that help us explore each of the eight factors. These will include formal sitting meditation, guided reflections, personal reflection, readings from the early teachings, small group workshops, chanting & bowing, qigong, and journaling. Some elements are planned; others will be in response to needs and inquiries that arise. Our aim is that you can take them home and into society for the well-being of us all.

If you wish to enhance your capacity to bring the whole path to bear on the challenges of your life and your potential for liberation/awakening, this retreat will be your friend. It asks only that you take Buddha’s teaching sincerely and are open to embracing the Path that he offered as the fourth Noble Truth-Reality.